The 10 most common mistakes of an owner trying to sell their property alone:
1
Overestimating their property
Trying to sell at a prohibitive price is the best way to keep your property and not move forward with your plans. Even if we know how much sentimental value you can attach to your property, try to stay objective in your estimation.
Use our agency which offers free estimates (value opinions)!
2
Clumsily drafting the ad
Your ad is the first contact your potential buyers will have with your property, without you being there to provide explanations: it’s the "cover letter" of your apartment. A buyer seeing a poorly crafted ad may imagine that the property you are selling is in the same state.
We have been trained in drafting real estate ads, and it's "quite an art"!
3
Not preparing the property for sale
Depersonalizing, decluttering rooms, clearing surfaces, lighting up, and showcasing your interior (the rule of thirds)... This step is ESSENTIAL to “trigger” the process
Our agency is trained in "Home Staging" and we are capable of highlighting the best of your interior!
4
Neglecting legal obligations when selling a property
As a transferring owner, you are obligated to provide technical and legal information to future buyers. You must notably provide mandatory diagnostics. The absence of these could delay the sale, and the interested buyer could very well find a new property in the meantime...
We anticipate this step by gathering all mandatory documents and have the diagnostics required by law performed before your sales ad is published.
5
Failing in photography
A picture is sometimes worth a thousand words, but not everyone is a photographer. If you neglect the quality of your photos, your property will hardly be appealing.
We work with a "wide angle" camera and HDR system for better rendering and striking contrasts that make prospects want to visit.
6
Leaving personal details "in plain sight"
If you sell your property without an agency, be prepared to be the center of attention. Potential buyers will contact you, of course, and there can be many of them. If you go through the Internet, avoid at all costs disclosing personal information such as your phone number. It’s an open door to intrusions into your privacy.
We represent you from the first to the last day in your procedures and are your/their only point of contact.
7
Demanding visit schedules
Don't forget, you are in the position of a seller, and the potential buyer is none other than your customer. And as the saying goes, “the customer is king”! You will certainly be tempted to propose visits at times that suit you, usually in the evening after work.
Finding the best time of the day, arriving on site 15 minutes before the visit to check everything, lighting up your property, and welcoming the clients into their future home so they feel immediately comfortable is our job. No matter the visitors' availability, we know how to adapt!
8
Being present during the visit...
The future buyer needs concentration to tour the property. Overwhelming them with qualities that are yours will not influence them.
We are more objective than you in a property that does not belong to us, but which we know by heart: it's the client's own feeling and a potential love at first sight that will prevail.
9
Being inflexible about the sale price
The sale price of a house as it is listed on the ad is rarely the final price. It is customary for a buyer to negotiate the sale price of a property. Sometimes, the negotiation is just a game, as the buyer is always flattered to be able to lower the price by a few thousand euros.
If you entrust your sales project to us exclusively, the estimation of your property will be just right, and it happens that clients make an offer at the price...
10
Not verifying the buyers' solvency
The last mistake to absolutely avoid: never sign a sales agreement without having verified the solvency of the buyers. While it may be delicate to ask for personal information during the first visit, it is essential to do so before signing an agreement. Indeed, if the buyers are not solvent, signing an agreement could tie up your house for several months without the sale being finalized. It would be enough for the buyers to show loan rejections for the agreement to be canceled.
We are used to checking this criterion as soon as the client contacts us, as it is part of our "Client Discovery" form and it is done quite naturally.
